Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro probably deserves some of the blame for not getting more recognition. He has more hits than any other player and only McGwire, Sosa and Griffey have more homers 1n the past 10 seasons, yet his game lacks flamboyance. The Texas Rangers' slugger just works hard, never seeking publicity about his numbers. "For some reason, it either gets overlooked or people don't pay attention. But then I don't even know about it," Palmeiro said.

On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame voters had their annual say on baseball's steroid era. This is the year the people of the United States enter the debate. People of the United States, that is. Capital P, for plaintiff. It's a perjury doubleheader. On March 22, it's the United States vs. Barry Lamar Bonds. On July 6, it's the U.S. vs. William Roger Clemens. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. No one else got within 75 votes of election, so perhaps no player gets elected next year, when the strongest first-time candidates include Tim Salmon, Bernie Williams and Vinny Castilla.

Rafael Palmeiro will not be prosecuted on perjury charges after lawmakers said Thursday that there isn't enough evidence to prove he lied when he told Congress under oath that he had "never used steroids" -- six weeks before failing a steroid test. The investigation did not conclude whether the former Baltimore Oriole slugger had ever used performance-enhancing substances prior to his testimony before the House Government Reform Committee.

Does Rafael Palmeiro deserve to be in baseball's Hall of Fame? Yes -- in the new, soon-to-be-crowded Doper's Wing. JERRY CLARK Glendale Rafael Palmeiro is smart enough to sign million-dollar contracts, Viagra and shoe deals. But he is stupid enough not to know what he is putting in his body. Now that's a first-ballot Hall of Fame liar. JACOB PEREZ La Verne I personally take no issue with poor Rafael being inducted into the Hall of Fame under the given circumstances, but only if he goes in under the name Rafael Palmeiroids.

Texas Ranger first baseman Rafael Palmeiro was chosen by Oakland Athletic Manager Tony La Russa to replace the A's Mark McGwire at first base in the All-Star Game. McGwire has a burst eardrum. The Angels' Wally Joyner declined to play because of a strained right calf muscle. Houston's Mike Scott indicated that his career might be over after the Astros said his sore right shoulder has not improved.

August 14, 2005 | Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today.

Baltimore Oriole slugger Rafael Palmeiro served up a steroid-enhanced scandal-ball, and cartoonists blasted it out of the park. But critics, like Yankees, be damned. Today, Mom is on Paxil and Botox, and apple pie leaks pesticides and additives. So if the muscle boys of summer need amazin' meds to pad their stat lines, and thus their bottom lines, hey, it's the American way. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, 90% of baseball is medical, and the other half is fiscal.

On Sunday, a good day for baseball, Tom Lasorda celebrated the sport, visiting Cooperstown to join in welcoming Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg into the Hall of Fame. On Monday, a bad day for baseball, Lasorda bemoaned the stain upon the sport. Rafael Palmeiro, a player whose credentials suggest he could someday join Lasorda in the Hall of Fame, had tested positive for steroids. "It's a sad situation," Lasorda said. "Here's a guy who flatly denied he was taking any steroids. He told Congress that.

Rafael Palmeiro told baseball's arbitration panel that a vitamin he received from Baltimore Oriole teammate Miguel Tejada might have caused his positive test for steroid use. Palmeiro testified that he received B-12 from Tejada, a person familiar with the grievance hearing said Thursday on condition of anonymity because the proceedings were secret. "Right now I'm in shock," Tejada said. "I've never given anybody steroids before." Tejada said he gave Palmeiro the B-12 "a long time ago."

Rafael Palmeiro, when he appeared before a panel to appeal his case, allegedly suggested that a vitamin B-12 shot teammate Miguel Tejada offered him might be the reason he tested positive for steroids in May. Points out Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post: "It was allegedly Stanozolol that Palmeiro was nabbed for, a steroid that isn't exactly found in Flintstone chewables."

Rafael Palmeiro, his possible Hall of Fame career tainted by a steroid suspension and an ongoing congressional investigation, will not be in uniform again this season, the Baltimore Orioles announced Friday -- an action amounting to a paid suspension. Palmeiro, who turns 41 today and is considering retirement, was expected to return to the club Friday after rehabilitating a sore knee and ankle for three weeks at his Texas home. Instead, he was told he was not welcome back.

Rafael Palmeiro told baseball's arbitration panel that a vitamin he received from Baltimore Oriole teammate Miguel Tejada might have caused his positive test for steroid use. Palmeiro testified that he received B-12 from Tejada, a person familiar with the grievance hearing said Thursday on condition of anonymity because the proceedings were secret. "Right now I'm in shock," Tejada said. "I've never given anybody steroids before." Tejada said he gave Palmeiro the B-12 "a long time ago."

Congressional investigators looking into whether Rafael Palmeiro lied under oath are interviewing players who know him, including a Colorado outfielder suspended this year for steroids, Associated Press has learned. Palmeiro testified to the House Government Reform Committee in March that he never had used steroids. The Baltimore Oriole slugger was suspended by Major League Baseball for 10 days in August for failing a drug test.

Rafael Palmeiro was sent home to Texas to rehabilitate knee and ankle injuries, leaving his baseball future unclear during a season in which he was suspended for a positive steroid test. Palmeiro's season unraveled soon after he collected his 3,000th hit on July 15. He received a 10-day suspension Aug. 1 for failing a drug test and upon his return was booed by spectators in Baltimore and on the road. He is two for 26 with one run batted in since coming back.

It was big, almost as big as the girl waving it over her head. It was bright orange with black lettering, and it read, "Welcome Back Raffy." It was held aloft behind the Orioles' dugout about two hours before the first pitch at Camden Yards Thursday night, and it was the first sign, no pun intended, that things were back to normal.

As the Baltimore Orioles ponder how to address a crush of 13 players eligible for free agency after the 1998 season, first baseman Rafael Palmeiro insists, "I'm not doing a Brady Anderson", and will demand market value to remain with the franchise.

Rafael Palmeiro is returning to Baltimore, where he enjoyed five outstanding seasons before his acrimonious departure in 1998. Palmeiro, 39, agreed to terms with the Orioles on Saturday, accepting a one-year contract with an option for a second year. The first baseman-designated hitter became a free agent after spending the last five seasons with the Texas Rangers. Palmeiro batted .260 with 38 homers and 112 RBIs last season.

August 14, 2005 | Joel Pett, Joel Pett is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His work also appears in USA Today.

Baltimore Oriole slugger Rafael Palmeiro served up a steroid-enhanced scandal-ball, and cartoonists blasted it out of the park. But critics, like Yankees, be damned. Today, Mom is on Paxil and Botox, and apple pie leaks pesticides and additives. So if the muscle boys of summer need amazin' meds to pad their stat lines, and thus their bottom lines, hey, it's the American way. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, 90% of baseball is medical, and the other half is fiscal.

Rafael Palmeiro returned from a 10-day suspension Thursday eager to play for the Baltimore Orioles, yet unwilling to discuss the positive test for steroids that tarnished his name. "I want to say that I'm happy to be back. I'm anxious to get back on the field and playing the game that I love very much," he said. "It's been a tough time for me and my family over the last couple of weeks, and at this time I've been instructed by my attorneys not to comment on the situation.